Week 20 Tinman Triathlon

So, you've heard of an Ironman Triathlon right? A real Ironman event consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full out 26.2 mile marathon.

Well, I did complete a triathlon on Saturday morning -- but instead of an Ironman, this one was a Tinman.And, well, I feel pretty darn proud of myself and had a surprisingly really fun time doing it! The Riverside Tinman http://riversidetinman.com is a free triathlon sponsored by the Riverside Stake (Mormon term for a group of wards or congregations). The event, held at Riverside Community College (RCC) consists of a 150 meter swim, a 5K or 3 mile stroller friendly (of course) run\walk and a 10 mile street & mountain bike finish. My total time hasn't been posted yet but I think it was around 88 minutes for all three events.

I completely stunk at the first event -- the swim. But, hey, the only swim lesson I ever got was when my dad threw me in the deep end of the Douglas, Arizona public pool when I was 5 or 6. I figured out how to struggle to the top, gasp for air and how to doggy paddle from that harrowing experience. Shortly after that, my parents divorced (his method of swimming instruction played no part in that but it does give you just a brief glimpse into his smoth people skills). But after that, as the kid of a single working mom, there wasn't a lot of money or means for luxuries like swimming lessons. On this morning, I started doing an ugly crawl (I've never quite "got" that arm-breathing thing) and ended up doing a modified backstroke which was really more like floating on my back while kicking and waving my arms. It was ugly and kind of slow at just under 5 minutes, but hey, I survived (sadly, last year, a participant suffered a heart attack and didn't survive the swim). From there, I was able to move on to the events which take less learned skills.

A side note, I did have a photo taken of me in the pool lookin' super hot with my skirted tankini and some borrowed goggles, but, alas, my trusty Canon Elf camera got misplaced. I'm hoping because this was a gathering of Mormons, somebody found it and it might somehow find its way back to me.

Moving on to the run -- the 5K...my time on that run was 33.03 -- just 15 seconds faster than my time at this event in 2009 when all I did was the 5K. Not bad, but I was hoping for a faster time since I've been running (OK, really, its jogging) a lot more the last few months to train for the Fontana Half Marathon next month. But, still, the way I look at it, I'm almost 52 years old. I have been blessed with a healthy, well-functioning body. I honestly consider this one of the best gifts of my life and I say prayers of thanks often for this blessing. I think often of how my body is not "me" but a vessel in which the true me, my soul, resides. I will continue to do everything I can to keep it -- and my mind -- healthy and working as well as possible. Too many women are so critical of how they look compared to some crazy, unrealistic ideals perpetuated by Hollywood, the media and just society as a whole. Instead of focusing on its health and how it's working, they focus on how it appears -- there's a big difference there. So, with that, I'm grateful I am able to run at all.

The bike ride along the Santa Ana River Trail -- heading north along pretty flat terrain felt more like recreation than a part of the contest. I guess I could have pushed harder, but it really just felt good to sit down on the bike seat. I was riding pretty much on my own and, being pretty unfamiliar with the streets around RCC, got a little lost and let a younger woman (I guess I could say "sister") catch up to me. With the little competitive "oomph" still left in me, I downshifted, turned up the heat and blew her away in the last 100 yards or so (once I knew where the finish was).

My sweet little Ella cheered me on through the swim and was there to meet me at the end. How I love her....and, yeah, I look like a total nerd with my helmet and baseball cap on -- but, it worked.

This is all of us who stayed through the end (Hayley swam but then had to go home to get Ryan to his ice hockey practice)...April, me, Ella and Heidi and Sarah. We had several other friends and Sarah's Mom, Sue Carter, there too.

This was a very fun event and I think I'll be participating in upcoming years now too. Come join us next year!

(By the way, thanks new friend Esmeralda for sending the I-phone photos above.)